Method of and machine for knitting fashioned webbing



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H. J. GRISWOLD.

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR KNITTING FASHIONED WEBBING.

N0. 499,729. Patented June-20, 1893. A 20 J) I 1 w r writ: i. 5- 7 8 6 I (No Model;) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. J. GRISWOLD. METHOD 0]? AND MACHINE FOR KNITTING FASHIONED WEBBING. No. 499,729. Patented June 20, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY J. GRISTVOLD, OF MADISON, CONNECTICUT.

METHOD OF AND MA CHINE FOR KNITTING FASHIONED WEBBING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,729, dated June 20, 1893.

Application filed May 24, 1892. Serial No. 434,120. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY J. GRIswoLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madison, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Machines for Knitting Fashioned TVebbing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in the method of and means for manufacturing fashioned knitted Webbing fully set forth hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a plan view of suflicient of a circular knitting machine to illustrate my improvements, Fig. 2, is a side elevation showing part of such machine. Fig. 3, is a cross sectional elevation through the center. Fig. 4, is an inner face view of the needle cams extended to a flat plane. Fig. 5, is a top View of the same. Figs. 6 and 7 are detached views of part of the devices.

Heretofore in narrowing fabrics in making the legs of stockings and in the manufacture of other garments it has been the practice after knitting a certain amount of uniform fabric to remove a needle, transferring its stitch to the adjoining needle, to then knit a certain number of rows and then remove a second needle, leaving one between the two which were removed, knit additional plain fabric and remove another needle, and so on until a sufficient number of narrowings have been made; the alternate needles being only removed from that portion of the needle bed upon which the narrowed part of the fabric is knit. This method of manufacture, while it has fashioned the garment, or reduced the size thereof, has not resulted in the prod uction of a fabric that is uniform throughout, as the removal of the needles at that portion where the narrowing is effected results in a looser fabric at such portion and elsewhere giving the appearance of ampckrib, crimperfect workmanship. ln order to overcome these objections, I efiect the narrowing by removing successive needles as heretofore, transferring their stitches to adjoining needles, but instead as heretofore of imparting to the needles adjacent to those removed the same movement or throw as is imparted to the other needles I decrease the downward movement of these needles sufficiently to shorten the stitches on the needles that alternate with the empty grooves, and as a result that portion of the fabric where the narrowing takes place is uniform in texture with that of the remaining portion of the fabric.

Different means may be employed for tem porarily varying the movements of a portion of the needles at the point where the fabric is being narrowed, and said variation maybe effected by shifting the cam that depresses the needles during the operations upon these needles in narrowing, or what is equivalent thereto, by temporarily changing the vertical height of the cylinder. I will now describe mechanism which is effective in connection with an ordinary revolving cam shell.

The bed-plate B, of the machine is suitably constructed to support the other portions, and is supported by legs or otherwise as may be required, and has a central recess to receive the grooved cylinder C, clamped in place in any suitable manner and provided with latch needles y, to which the requisite vertical movements are imparted by means of the cams 2, 4, carried at the inside of the cam-shell l). The cam 2, is a depressing cam, is guarded by the cam-guards 3, 3, and is vertically adjustable ,upon the shell. With the cam 2, I combine any suitable appliances whereby the said cam may be temporarily adjusted as it is brought to operate upon the needles adjacent to the empty grooves so as to decrease the throw of said needles and thereby produce the effect before described. Thus, as shown in the drawings a ring 5, encircles the shell D,and has an inclined slot 6, in which is a block '7, connected with the cam 2, so that by turning the ring 5, in one direction or the other the block may be raised or depressed to alter the height of the cam 2, to adjust the lengths of the stitches and the tightness of the fabric in ordinary operations. In the block 7, is an inclined slot 8,

through which extends a pin 9, from the cam 2, the inclination of the slot 8, being greater than that of the slot 6, so that a slight shifting of the block 7, to the right orleft will impart a more extended movement to the cam 2, and alter its adjustment to a much greater extent than the usual movement of the block 7, in the slot 6.

To shift the block 7, to secure the temporary adjustments of the cam 2, I make use of a rock-shaft 11, carrying a forked arm 10, the fork of which embraces a pin 40, projecting from the slide 7. From the shaft 11, which rocks in a bracket carried by the shell I),extends an arm 14, made in two sections, one slotted and secured by a screw 41, to the other, so as to lengthen the arm as required the outer section being bent downward and carrying a friction roll 15. In connection with these parts I employ two adjustable cams 23, 24, which may be shifted as required so that when the end of the arm 14, is carried over either cam it will be raised or depressed to shift the needle depressing cam 2, in one direction or the other from and back to its normal position.

It is of course necessary that the cams 23,

i 24, shall be practically out of operation during the knitting of plain work,that they shall be separated so as to allow for only a momentary shifting of the cam 2, when a single needle has been thrown out of operation, and that they shall be gradually separated in proportion as the number of needles thrown out of operation increases. While differentmeans might be employed for supporting and adjusting said cams 23, and 24, I prefer in circular knitting machines to form each cam upon a ring supported by the bed-plate and to turn these rings to bring the cams together or separate them as required. Thus, as shown, the cam 23, is upon a ring 20, and the cam 24, is upon a ring 19, which rings are concentric with each other and with the center of the cylinder 0, and are supported upon the bed plate and are retained in place by clips 16, 17. By turning the rings to carry the cam edges 23, 24, past each other, as shown in Fig. 6, there is afforded a continuous edge bearing m, for the end of the arm 14, so that no movement is imparted to the latter or thereby to the cam 2, but by turning the rings to separate the cams, as shown in Fig. 7, there is left an intervening depression to of greater or less extent into which the end of the arm 14 passes, thereby rocking the shaft 11, swinging the forked arm 10, shifting the block 7, and lifting the cam 2.

Any suitable means may be employed for simultaneously turning the rings 19 and 20, in opposite directions. As shown, each ring has a longitudinal slot for the passage of a shaft 28, extending radially through the opening in the base plate for the reception of the rings, and provided at one end with a knob 29, and at the other with a pinion 26, which engages at the bottom with a rack 74, upon the inside ring 19, and at the top with a rack 27, upon the outside ring 20. Upon the shaft 28, near the knob 29, is a pattern wheel 30, having peripheral notches with which engages a spring pawl 31.

The remaining portions of the machine, which may be of any ordinary or suitable construction have not been illustrated and need not be described, as the same are wellknown to those skilled in the art.

The operation of the machine in knittinga tubular fabric and narrowing and widening the same is as follows:All the needles being in the cylinder with the work upon them the rings 19, 20, are moved to overlap the cams 23,24, as shown in Fig. 6, and a plaintubular web will be knitted long enough to form the leg of a stocking above'the narrowings. 'When the narrowing is to begin I remove one needle directly in front of the machine and transfer its stitch to the next needle and turn the knob until the cams 23, 24, are separated as shown in Fig. 7, sufficiently to let the end of the arm 14, drop, just before the point of the cam 2, is brought opposite to the needle adjacent to the vacant groove in the cylinder, so that said cam is raised and does not depress the needles on opposite sides of said groove to as great an extent as it does the other needles. After knitting, say, six rows of fabric, I remove another needle, leaving one needle in place between the two empty grooves and transfer the stitches to the adjoining nee die and then turn the knob to bring the pawl 31, into the next tooth of the pattern wheel 30, separating the earns 23, 24, just sufficiently to shorten the stitches on the three needles next the empty grooves. These operations are continued, the cam-wheel being turned one notch after the removal of each additional needle until the desired amount of narrowing has been effected. I then, in knitting a stocking, knit a length of narrowed work sufficient for the ankle, make a slack course to run on by, knit a few more courses, make a slack course to cut off by,knit a few more courses, then another slack course to run on by, and then proceed to knit another piece of narrowed work long enough for another ankle and then progressively widen out the leg of the second stocking as follows: I insert two needles into the two empty grooves that are farthest apart, taking up onto each of these needles the stitch formed by its adjoining needle during the previous course. I then turn the knob 29, and pattern wheel one notch in thereverse direction to bring the cams 23, 24, nearer together, knit six rows, insert two more needles and turn the pattern Wheel another notch, knit six more rows and so on until all the needles are replaced and the cams 23, 24, are brought to the position shown in Fig. 6, after which enough tubular web is knit to make the top of another stocking leg after whichI make a slack course to cut off by, then enough tubular web for the top of another stocking leg, then narrow as before and so on,forining a series of stocking legs in continuous lengths connected by slack courses top to top and ankle to ankle.

It is of course possible to make acombined legging and footing machine but I find it more economical to produce a series of leg sections in continuous lengths as described and for footing transfer to other machines of special construction.

In machines of proper construction the needles that are to be put out of operation may be dropped down below their operative position instead of being removed from the grooves.

It will be evident that the operation and substantially the construction above described may be embodied in straight frame machines. as well as in circular knitting machines, and in circular machines in which the needle-bed is conical or flat with needles moving radially. Although the method of varying the length of a stitch in difierent parts of the same course is particularly serviceable in making stocking legs it may be employed in fashioning other articles such as sleeves of shirts and jackets and drawer legs, and it is evident that where a portion of such fabric, as the knees, heels and toes, is to be looser than the remaining portion, in order to admit of a splicing thread, this can be efiected by simply varying the extent to which the needles are drawn down. It is also clear that these devices may be modified so as to apply to circular knitting machines of that type which have the cam shell stationary and the needle cylinder working.

WVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, I claim- 1. The within described improvement in knitting fashioned web, the same consisting in putting a portion of the needles successively out of operation, transferring their stitches to adjoining needles, and in imparting to such latter needles an extent of throw or movement less than that of the other needles, substantially as set forth.

2. In the production of fashioned tubular web, the mode of narrowing consisting in suecessively putting out of action alternate needles, transferring their stitches to adjoining needles and reducing the throw of the said adjoining needles without altering the throw of the remaining needles, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the needle-bed, operating cam, 2, cams 23, 24, and means for adjusting these cams to and from each other, and an arm connected with the operatingcam, and extending into position to be vibrated by the said earns 23, 24, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the needle-bed,operating cam, and devices carried with the operating cam and connected therewith to shift the same, of adjustable cams 23, 24, upon the bed of the machine, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the cylindrical needle-bed, cam shell supported to turn in the bed of the machine, and adjustable operating cam 2, of adjustable rings 19, 20, supported by the bed of the machine provided with cams 23, 24, and connections between the operating cam and an arm extending over the said rings, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the cylinder, operating cams, adjusting devices and cam rings 19, 20, provided with racks, of a shaft provided with a pinion engaging said racks, a pattern wheel upon said shaft and a pawl engaging the pattern wheel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. GRISWOLD.

Witnesses:

EDWARD P. BEMENT, ARTHUR S. OSBORNE. 

